Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 598: Open-minded_1

Zhou Residence, Zhulan had seen no shortage of guests these past days, and today, Magistrate Shen visited again, only to leave after a short while, escorted to the door personally by Xue Han.

Seeing her daughter’s unnatural-looking face upon returning, Zhulan asked, "What’s wrong?"

Xue Han sat down by her mother’s side, "Mother, I think the Magistrate doesn’t like me."

Although Magistrate Shen hid it well, Xue Han still felt disliked by her.

Zhulan thought to herself, a woman’s intuition is something. If not for all the complications, Xue Han truly was the official match for Yao Zheyu, "You might be overthinking it."

After thinking it over, Xue Han had only seen Magistrate Shen from a distance and indeed had no interactions, so perhaps it was just her being sensitive.

In the carriage of the Princely Heir’s residence, the head maid by Magistrate Shen’s side asked, "You don’t like Miss Zhou?"

Shen Yile let out a sound of surprise, "It’s not really a matter of dislike, just an inability to develop a liking, perhaps it’s a mismatch of auras."

The head maid laughed, "It seems Miss Zhou does not catch your fancy."

Shen Yile thought no further, her pride affording her the luxury of liking or disliking whoever she pleased, and she had no need to misstate herself, even for the daughter of the Zhou family. In her eyes, the daughter of the Zhou family didn’t deserve her extra fuss—her concerns were better directed at the Hou Residence.

Shen Yile closed her eyes, having thought that her stepmother was her biggest adversary, what a surprise it was to find the eunuch instead. Without the trusty Yao Yao by her side, she would have thought it to be the stepmother’s influence!

Time flew by, and it took nearly a whole month for Zhulan to fully recover from her illness. Sadly, even though she had recovered, she no longer had the strength to carry her son, ah, of course, there was also the fact that the little guy had put on some weight.

During these days, Wu Ning had been accompanied by Xue Han as they stayed by Zhulan’s side. Watching Wu Ning embroider her wedding dress, Zhulan thought of the dowry list Wu Ming had prepared for Wu Ning, which she had only recently received.

Wu Ming had prepared a generous dowry for his only sister, which included two thousand taels of silver, an estate, some jewelry, fabrics, and timber, and the list was delivered along with the dowry to the Zhou Residence.

Of the two thousand taels, one thousand were in savings and the other thousand were entrusted by Wu Ming to Zhulan to purchase shops for Wu Ning.

The fabric for Wu Ning’s bridal dress was prepared by Zhulan. It already had some embroidery done, but the intricate dress would still need one to two more months of work by Wu Ning herself to complete.

Zhulan thought of the dowry prepared by Wu Ming. This dowry had drained the Wu family resources; they had managed to save up this much only because Wu Ming lived on the frontier where the gray areas were most abundant. Without a hefty foundation, it would have been very difficult to save such an amount.

Now the dowry for Wu Ning, along with her trousseau and what Wu Ming had prepared, was indeed very substantial, and this girl’s future was secure.

Xue Han put down the scripture she was copying, "Mother, it’s starting to get windy, I’ll go close the windows."

Zhulan smiled, "I am already well, no need to worry. Let’s leave the windows open, it’s fine."

Seeing her mother’s complexion wasn’t bad, Xue Han settled back down. Everyone in the entire Zhou family had been on edge these past days, "Mother, counting the days, Third Brother should have reached our hometown by now, shouldn’t he?"

Zhulan agreed, "By counting the days, he should have."

In Li Family Village, Chang Lian and Lady Dong had returned from Dong family village, and Lady Dong had a displeased expression,"Such outrageous bullying!"

Chang Lian looked at his angry wife, "Cool it, the Dong family clan’s behavior is not directed at you."

Lady Dong clenched her teeth. She knew it wasn’t about her; she and Chang Lian had just returned to the height of the Dong family clan’s hospitality. Taking a deep breath, "But that doesn’t mean they should treat my sister like that, not even allowing her to enter the door."

Chang Lian sighed, "Didn’t your parents let your elder sister in?"

Lady Dong felt even worse now. Her parents still harbored some resentment; although they did let her sister into the house, they were quite cold towards her. Her sisters-in-law mocked her sister, and their mother only offered a weak rebuttal before falling silent.

Chang Lian embraced his wife, "Stop worrying about it. I saw your sister being strong; she knew what she was coming back to face."

Lady Dong’s nose felt a bit sour. She had originally intended to live in the Dong family estate with Chang Lian, longing for her parents, but the appearances of her sisters-in-law and the attitude of the clan members weighed heavily on her heart, so in the end, she moved back to the old residence in Li Family Village.

She meant for her sister to bring the children to live in Li Family Village, but her sister did not want to trouble her, and she promptly bought a house in Zhou Family Village shortly after arriving in their old hometown without returning to the Dong family.

Lady Dong said, "In our parents’ hearts, even if they love us, we can’t compare to the descendants of the Dong family."

Chang Lian patted his wife’s back. His wife felt somewhat indignant on behalf of Dong Yiyi but was more fearful—fearful that if she ever fell into hardship, the Dong family would treat her in the same way, "I may not be as capable as Father, but I can still protect you and the children."

He would not be like her brother-in-law; he had long since learned to walk steadfastly on solid ground.

In Zhou Family Village, Dong Yiyi arrived home in her sister’s carriage, helping her husband off the carriage, "Although it looks rundown, I feel especially at ease."

Jiang Ming looked at his wife, feeling uncomfortable inside, "I have wronged you."

Dong Yiyi smiled, "If you hadn’t married me, I would have either become a nun or suffered in the Dong family, perhaps even passed away from depression by now. Now, with two children and a stable life, I have come to terms with it."

Jiang Ming stared at Dong Yiyi, filled with regret. He regretted hurting the woman before him, a good woman. Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets; Yiyi, no matter how open-minded, would not forgive his hurt.

After Dong Yiyi waited for the children to get off the carriage, she took a deep breath. She still had to tidy up the house. They had purchased it but hadn’t had the chance to clean up before going to the Dong family. As the young servant brought the luggage into the house, Dong Yiyi supported her husband, "You sit and rest, I’ll clean up the house."

Jiang Ming’s legs had improved a lot over a month, "I can help wipe down the tables and chairs."

Dong Yiyi paused, then smiled, "Alright."

Jiang Mulan bit her lip, "Mother, let me help you."

Dong Yiyi looked at her young daughter. On the way back, the girl went from resentment to calmness and now to actively offering help. Dong Yiyi felt joyful in her heart, "Alright."

In Jinzhou Province, at Hou Residence, Zhulan had just woken up from an afternoon nap when Lady Li arrived, "Why didn’t you bring Yu Die with you?"

Lady Li held a letter in her hand, "Yu Die is still napping, so I didn’t bring her over."

Zhulan sighed. Although Yu Die had somewhat improved, her frail body still wasn’t strong enough; the child slept more than most. Noticing the letter in Lady Li’s hand, "Did you come to see me for a reason?"

Lady Li’s face flushed, "Mother, I received a letter from my mother. My brother is engaged."

Zhulan said, "That’s good news."

Lady Li’s face turned redder; indeed, it was good news. However, "Mother, my brother is engaged to Mr. Guan’s daughter."

Zhulan understood. Because of the Zhou family’s connections, Lady Fang was able to arrange a match with Mr. Guan’s daughter for her son, "Are you afraid it will cause trouble for the Zhou family?"

Lady Li nodded, "Mother, I am indeed afraid."

She was truly afraid. Her gratitude towards her mother, with each of her mother’s increasingly outrageous actions, had gradually worn thin, and her mother had become more and more a stranger. The mother she knew now could not inspire any trust.

Zhulan looked at Lady Li’s blushing face. Among the four daughters-in-law of the entire Zhou family, Lady Li was indeed the least advantaged. Although Lady Li also came from a humble farming background, her parental home was supportive. Only Lady Li had a family that held her back. "I understand. I’ll be careful."

Lady Li exhaled with relief, "Thank you."

In the evening, Zhulan waited for Zhou Shuren to come back. She told him about the engagement, and Zhou Shuren said, "I will have someone check into it."

Zhulan said, "Alright, just be careful."

Zhou Shuren was in agreement, "Also, there won’t be peace in Jinzhou tomorrow. Try not to leave the residence if it’s not necessary."